NEW YORK (CNNfn) - Caldor Corp. has issued an apology for an advertisement displaying two young boys and a Scrabble board that spelled out the word "rape."
Some 11 million copies of the ad appeared in a special 44-page toy circular distributed to 85 newspapers in the Northeast last weekend.
The Norwalk, Conn.-based discount chain discovered the problem late Friday after a customer called to complain.

Caldor said the Scrabble board shown in the ad was originally set up by a creative agency hired to design the advertising circular.
The company said it did not know how 11 million copies of the ad got past proofreaders, but acknowledged that both Caldor and the design agency, which the company refused to name, are responsible for proofreading the circular.